Sudbury audience gets sneak peek at new Zombie Town film

A new film starring Dan Aykroyd based on a popular R.L. Stine kids zombie novel that was made in Sudbury last year is poised to hit theatres Friday.

On Monday night, a select audience packed the Sheridan Auditorium at Sudbury Secondary School in Sudbury to watch a screening of Zombie Town.

Movie poster for Zombie Town, filmed in Sudbury last year. Aug. 28/23 (Chelsea Papineau/CTV Northern Ontario)

"For zombie fans out there, this is a movie for 12-year-olds, so there's not going to be much blood, but there will be enough chills and thrills for everyone to enjoy," the film's director, Peter Lepeniotis, told the crowd before the show.

The location of the screening was apropos, as the high school auditorium appears a lot in the movie, along with the halls, outside of The Grand Theatre on Elgin Street and other settings downtown.

"I really liked that they were running down the hallway of this exact place," Elin, one of many children in the audience, told CTV News in an interview after the movie.

During the film, there were lots of laughs from the audience.

"At first, I thought I was going to be like petrified and there was going to be so many jump scares, but then I'm like 'oh, this is fun,' Elin said.

Aykroyd is not the only heavy-weight actor in the comedic horror film, Chevy Chase and Henry Czerny also play memorable roles.

Graeme, 11, travelled from Timmins to Sudbury to see the special screening.

"My impression on the movie at first, I was kind of like 'Oh, this movie might be a little scary,' but then, as soon as I started watching it, I was like 'Oh, no, this is a bunch of comedy,'" he told CTV News in an interview after the movie.

"My favourite part was probably the part where Dan Aykroyd got involved, and showed him."

Graeme even brought his copy of Stine's book and had it signed by two of the local actors who were at the screening.

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Ryan Mauro is an actor from Sault Ste. Marie who played the character Dimp, a member of the zombie fan group that worships Aykroyd's character in the movie.

"I remember doing the audition and then immediately thinking like 'this isn't going to work out, I don't think this is going to happen" and I ended up finding out later on that I was in the movie," Mauro told CTV News in an interview after the screening.

"I was in another film called Hotel For the Holidays, like this Christmas film, and I played like a valet in that. That was my first speaking role. And then, this one was just sort of … felt like a step up from that. So it was definitely very nerve-wracking but I had a great time."

He said he plans to keep pursuing opportunities to perform.

Jonas Goddard Lashbrook is a Sudbury teen who made his movie debut in Zombie Town. He is going into Grade 11.

"The experience, at first, was pretty nerve-wracking because it was like my very first movie," Goddard Lashbrook told CTV News in an interview after the screening.

At that point, Lepeniotis chimed in off-camera and said "he was the best!"

"Very first acting on set, very awkward and a little nervous, but I eventually got through it. First scene was pretty intense because I'm not used to high-quality cameras," the high school junior said.

"But, it's pretty fun and exciting. I'd recommend it to anyone that's out there who's willing to do something like that."

Before the movie began, Lepeniotis spoke to the audience and sang the praises of the Sudbury crew who worked on the film.

"Having done this, it was very intense, very thrilling at the same time. And through it all, there were a lot of highs and lows, but all the highs seemed to come from the Sudbury crew," the director said.

"The Sudbury crew would constantly be there for me. Whenever I was feeling down, somebody would look at me and say 'Hey man, you OK?' And I'd be like 'No, I'm fine.' They'd be like 'No, really, are you OK?' And I'd be like 'No, I'm not that OK.' And I'd get a pat on the back, I'd get a chocolate milk, I'd get a coffee, a cigarette, somebody would take care of me."

He noted a Toronto crew was there too, but the Sudbury crew was a "little extra special."

"There was a more family feel, more comforting embrace under intense pressure," Lepeniotis said.

"They were graceful, they kept their cool. It was a pleasure to be working with this team from Sudbury."

Zombie Town is in theatres Sept. 1.

In addition to the videos from the Sudbury screening attached above, you can also watch videos below from special behind-the-scenes interviews on set with Aykroyd, Chase, Czerny, Lepeniotis, producer John Gillespie and R.L. Stine's producer Yvonne Bernard.